The Dump and Burn Project
Our Story
How a crashed aircraft became a preservation mission
The Aircraft
The General Dynamics F-111 was one of the most advanced combat aircraft of its generation. Its variable-sweep wings, terrain-following radar, side-by-side crew arrangement and self-contained escape module gave it capabilities unlike almost anything that had come before.
The F-111 entered United States Air Force service in 1967. The USAF operated several versions, including the F-111A, F-111D, F-111E and highly capable F-111F strike aircraft. The long-range FB-111A served with Strategic Air Command, while the EF-111A Raven was developed for electronic warfare and radar-jamming missions.
American F-111s flew combat operations over Vietnam, Libya and Iraq. Their speed, range, low-level performance and all-weather precision-strike capability made them particularly effective during Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986 and Operation Desert Storm in 1991. USAF strike versions retired in 1996, followed by the EF-111A in 1998.
Australia was the F-111's only foreign operator. The RAAF ordered 24 F-111Cs, with the first aircraft arriving at RAAF Base Amberley in 1973. Four former USAF F-111As were later acquired as attrition replacements and modified to closely match the Australian F-111C configuration.
Four F-111Cs were converted into RF-111C reconnaissance aircraft, carrying specialised cameras and sensors. In 1993, Australia also acquired 15 former USAF FB-111As, redesignated F-111Gs, primarily for training and fleet support.
Throughout their service, Australia's F-111s received improved avionics, targeting systems and weapons, including Pave Tack, Harpoon and AGM-142 missiles.
Operated principally by No. 1 and No. 6 Squadrons, the Pig became the foundation of Australia's long-range strike capability. Its spectacular Dump and Burn display also made it an Australian airshow icon.
The F-111G retired in 2007, followed by the F-111C and RF-111C fleets in 2010, ending 37 years of RAAF service.
The Crew Module
Unlike conventional ejection seats, the F-111 used an escape capsule — the entire crew module separated from the aircraft as a single unit, protecting both crew members in a pressurised shell. The capsule was equipped with its own parachute system, flotation bags and survival equipment. It could be used at any speed, any altitude, including ground level.
This system was complex, expensive and demanding to maintain — but it worked. The crew module represents one of the most sophisticated crew survival systems ever fitted to a production aircraft.
68-0040
F-111E serial 68-0040 has a history that spans USAF service, a crash, a recovery and now a second life as the centrepiece of a preservation project. The crew module from 68-0040 is the foundation of the Dump and Burn Project — a tangible piece of Cold War aviation history that deserves to be preserved and understood.
The full story of 68-0040 — its service history, the crash sequence and the recovery of the crew module — is documented separately on this site.
The Mission
The Dump and Burn Project exists to preserve the 68-0040 crew module and restore it to the highest possible standard of authenticity. The goal is a fully working cockpit simulator — every instrument, switch and control restored or replicated to function as it did in service.
This is not a static museum display. The intention is a living, interactive piece of history that can be experienced from the inside — that communicates what it was actually like to sit in an F-111 cockpit.
The project is entirely privately funded. There are no grants, no institutional backing and no commercial revenue. It is driven by a passion for preserving something remarkable before the knowledge, the parts and the people who understood this aircraft are gone.
Why It Matters
The F-111 served the United States Air Force for nearly three decades. USAF strike variants retired in 1996, followed by the EF-111A Raven in 1998. Australia kept the type flying for another twelve years — the RAAF retired its F-111C and RF-111C fleets in December 2010, making it the last air force in the world to operate the F-111.
The aircraft that remain are scattered across museums, gate guards and private collections on both sides of the Pacific. The specialist knowledge held by the people who flew and maintained them — in USAF squadrons and RAAF wings alike — is not being systematically recorded. Components are being lost, scrapped or exported.
The window for preserving this history at the level of detail it deserves is closing. The Dump and Burn Project is an attempt to do something meaningful before that window shuts.
Be Part of It
If you have parts, knowledge, or a connection to the F-111 community, we want to hear from you.